IMD issues thunderstorm warning in Delhi-NCR

NEW DELHI: After a dust storm hit the national capital early on Wednesday, Indian Meteorological Department has issued a warning for next 72 hours anticipating similar weather conditions across large parts of north India including Delhi.

According to the warning bulletin issued in the morning, "Thunderstorm accompanied with gusty winds (with speed 50-70 km) very likely at isolated places over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh."

The same predictions have been made for May 17 at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Police said that an 18-year-old man identified as Sohail was killed in northeast Delhi and 13 people injured in the dust storm that hit the city in the early hours on Wednesday.

The Police Control Room (PCR) received 78 calls during the storm that started around 3am

The PCR received as many as 59 calls about fallen trees, five calls about fallen electricity poles and 11 calls about hoardings/wall collapse, police said.

Also, four calls received were about damages to cars in the dust storm. Fourteen vehicles - 13 vehicles and a motorcycle - were damaged in it, the police said. As many as 80 people were killed in five states due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since May 13, with the northern state of Uttar Pradesh alone recording 51 deaths, the Home Ministry said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the temperature in the morning was recorded at 25 degrees Celsius and generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle is expected, a MeT official said.